There are many roads to cardiovascular disease, and peripheral artery disease (PAD) is one of the more common, affecting nearly 10 million Americans over the age of 40.
PAD is an issue that can create problems on its own, as well as put you at risk for more serious complications, including heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States.
To stay one step ahead of PAD, the experienced team of cardiology experts at Advanced Cardiovascular Specialists would like to share some key guidelines for screening this common cardiovascular disease.
Before we discuss who should screen for PAD and when, let’s first quickly review what we’re up against. In short, PAD is an issue in which blockages in your arteries are compromising the circulation of blood to your legs. More specifically, there are plaques in the vessels that deliver blood to your lower extremities — a condition called atherosclerosis.
The result is that you have poor circulation in your legs, which can lead to:
Though these symptoms alone can be challenging, they can lead to complications, such as a heart attack, stroke, and even leg amputation, thanks to wounds that become infected.
It’s best to stay one step ahead of PAD, which can be accomplished through a simple screening.
Now, let’s get into how we screen for PAD. To determine your blood pressure, we simply place a cuff around your upper arm. We measure for PAD in the same way with an ankle cuff and the ankle-brachial index (ABI) test.
This painless screening can determine whether the blood flow to your extremities is compromised and how it compares to the blood pressure reading in your arm. If we spot an issue, we can investigate further with imaging to determine the extent of the blockage.
Screening for PAD is both quick and painless and worth your while.
There are some general guidelines when it comes to screening for PAD that include:
We would like to add to these broad guidelines with some of our own. For example, if you’re experiencing any of the symptoms we outline above, we will likely screen for PAD as a matter of course. Bear in mind that PAD doesn’t always lead to side effects — for example, four out of 10 people with PAD don’t develop leg pain.
We’re happy to sit down with you to review your current and past health to determine your risks and come up with a more detailed screening schedule.
To schedule your PAD screening or to determine whether you need to screen at all, please contact our office in Mountain View, California, to set up an appointment.
